Biscuit

Here's an illustration of what can happen when you get carried away slow playing a strong hand.

I'm in the BB tonight with absolutely jack diddly squat - 64o - something I would fold to a raise. It was checked around to the SB who called. I checked. Flop brought a 6 and two other blanks. SB bets, I raise my little pair to see what happens. SB calls. Turn brings a blank. SB checks, I bet. He calls. River brings a J. I like this card less than the rest, so when the SB checks, I check behind him. I win the pot and the SB shows AhKh.

He slow played suited AK against only me in the BB. He could have raised and won 1/2BB. He slow played and lost 3BB.

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Dyno_Don

You got that one right. With an AK suited, I would have bet at least half the pot on the river card, just to see if BB would call or not.

That's how to make the chips in the game, you have to bluff sometimes to win the pot. Good point. :smile:

donktheclown

He didn't slowplay though. Slowplay is playing a strong hand like you have a beatable hand. He made mistakes on every street except preflop. Preflop, against only the BB, calling isn't a bad play.

The problem is that he didn't play logically. If you just call preflop, and 3 small cards flop, then there's no way your opponent is going to give you credit for holding a pocker pair. Betting is silly. Check-raising makes more sense: if you opponent folds you win, if he calls then you know you're either beat by a pair or he has an ace with something else.

Then his call on the turn followed by a check on the river was flat out stupid. The only reason, on an unflopped hand, to call on the turn would be if the pot odds were great or to trap your opponent in thinking you have a hand. So on the turn you would either fold OR call and then bet on the river.

Biscuit

It might not be bad, but raising is better. I only like your line: calling pre-flop and then check-raising the flop when I am holding trash. (This is for sb vs bb action only.)

I agree that his turn and river play were just awful.

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donktheclown

Why do you consider raising better preflop in this case? I see no point in scaring away the big blind with the best hand. With another hand like A9, QJ, almost anything else I would raise with. But I fail to see why it would be a good thing raising with AK and ensuring you have no action most of the time.

Biscuit

Against any random hand I am a 2-1 favorite pre-flop holding AKs. There are 1.5 small bets in the pot.

If I raise, I am raising 1.5 small bets to win 1.5 small bets. 1-1 betting odds to take down a pot that I am 2-1 to win. Those are very good odds considering I am probably ahead. If he calls, he has to call 1 small bet to win 2, so he has the odds to call, but he does not know that. He does not know that his 64o isn't behind to 77. I have fold equity.

If he calls , I am fine with that, but he does not get to outflop me for free.

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dcputernut

well...just my 2 cents.....

if i was the AK, yeah i might just call preflop..since everyone else folded i want some $ in the pot...but to continue that..I woulda make good bet after flop...when he didnt' bet after flop..you knew he didn't have anything and your 6's could be good.

Some times i dont' preflop raise on AK, even suited...been burnt lots of times on those 2 cards...never fails someone has big pocket pair..or all low come out and someone has straight...well guess that belongs over on fav starting hand..lol